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Bomber players confront coach

Caroline Wilson

Essendon coach Matthew Knights addresses his players during his team's debilitating loss to Adelaide two weeks ago. Photo: DAVID MARIUZ

IT IS true that some Essendon players confronted Matthew Knights last week at an emotional meeting after the side's insipid loss to Adelaide.

Their biggest issue was selection and the players demanded to know why Bachar Houli had been overlooked again, this time for Michael Quinn. They also wanted to know why Courtenay Dempsey wasn't getting a game and wondered at several other inconsistencies at the selection table. Quinn's form had also been the subject of a heated exchange in the coaches' box at AAMI Stadium two nights earlier.

Knights explained that Quinn had put in a best-on-ground performance for the Bendigo Bombers the previous week. The view at Essendon is that Houli is out of favour and up for trade. Given he was Bendigo's best several days ago, he must surely win selection this week.

See the Bombers fly up and down

The triumphs and tribulations of the Matthew Knights era at Windy Hill. Photo: Wayne Taylor

The meeting, facilitated by Leading Teams, was highly charged, coming as as it did after the team's third-straight loss, which put a finals appearance virtually out of reach.

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The coach was not the only one confronted, with the players also encouraged to question each other. Captain Jobe Watson was reportedly moved to tell his teammates later that it was not their job to turn on the coach.

Knights then aired his frustration upon the media, which he accused of laziness in throwing up ill-researched stories without basis. He was never going to win that one and several in power at Essendon are understood to have told him so.

So where does all this leave one of the AFL's longest contracted and yet seemingly most insecure coaches on the eve of round 16 and, in a sense, a fixture against the worst of all possible options - bottom team West Coast?

When coaches are put under this much pressure few clubs can truly handle the situation. The administrative heads at Essendon were criticised on Monday for saying nothing, but only made matters worse by coming out supposedly in support of the coach yesterday.

Neither chairman David Evans or CEO Ian Robson could guarantee Knights would see out his contract - probably smart because he has a deal until 2012 - but Evans was particularly unconvincing where the coach's future was concerned, although clearly he was trying to appease his angry members as well.

Evans declared there would be a major review at the end of the year. He also mentioned his close friendship with James Hird.

Robson laughed at the suggestion of a crisis, a chuckle which incensed a plethora of angry fans who criticised him on talkback radio.

Certainly Knights has made mistakes, as all young coaches do, but given Essendon's lack of experience, the list he inherited and the injuries his team has suffered this season, the backlash against him appears quite hysterical. Clearly he has had issues with older players in his short journey, and Mark McVeigh is apparently disgruntled and wants to spend more time in the midfield. Surely these issues arise weekly at all clubs, particularly those that are not winning.

But having endured unusually strong criticism for his game-plan in the media from former captain Matthew Lloyd and another recently retired - and very disgruntled - star, Scott Lucas, you had to feel for Knights yesterday when Kevin Sheedy chimed in, pointing out whom Essendon could have appointed ahead on Knights and questioning all manner of decisions, including Lloyd's retirement, which the former coach conveniently forgot was Lloyd's call and not the coach's.

Knights' timing deserted him again last weekend, losing to Melbourne two days after Mark Williams jumped back onto the coaching market. It also came less than 24 hours after yet another exciting Richmond victory, coached by Damien Hardwick - the former Bomber who was the losing contender to Knights - and just hours before the 2000 premiership reunion.

And it was at that reunion that an angry Bombers coterie member attacked former CEO Peter Jackson and asked him how it felt to be the man who had singlehandedly brought down the Club. A confrontation which perhaps led to Jackson's comments in The Herald Sun yesterday.

While Jackson never said the decision to extend Knights' contract was wrong, the very fact he felt the need to put it forward suggested he was distancing himself from it. How much bitterness and mistrust is there among the Bombers' powerbrokers that Jackson believed he was being shafted for a decision that surely should not be judged just yet?

Knights won the job ahead of contenders such as Mark Thompson and Mark Harvey largely because he was not an Essendon man. The board - and Jackson who was also a board member - believed the factions at Essendon had stalled progress at the club for too long and those two players were perhaps too strongly aligned with one side or the other.

They probably expected that such a green coach coming into such a big club would take some time to win support from both sides. They could not have known that those divisions would join forces and turn on the hapless Knights with such ferocity.

38 comments so far

Source?

Commenter

mojo

Location

geelong

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 10:00AM

Just goes to show what we've been talking about for yrs,matty knights selection of Michael Quinn in the side is a joke!The poor bloke looks lost has no idea needs 3-4yrs in the VFL!Also he has lost the players because he is way too tough on them doesn't give them enough confidence in themselves!They look like they are walking on eggshells,his record at port power & bendigo was below par!I gave him a go as many friends of mine did after hearing him at our B&F,even though we prefered Hardwick as head coach!I have come to the conclusion that his just a good salesmen (just like terry wallace 5yr plan,what a waste of time)!Pls David Evans get rid of him bring in Mark Choco Wialliams-Head Coach & James Hird his assistant to coach after 3yrs!

Commenter

nickgianna

Location

melbourne

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 10:05AM

"Given [Houli] was Bendigo's best several days ago, he must surely win selection this week".

Were you at the game Caroline? He was far from best on ground. Houli has struggled all year with turnovers, poor defensive skills, and bad decision making errors that costs (and frustrates) his teammates. His being consistently overlooked is a reflection of those issues which he seems reticent to address and until he does will not be a regular member of the senior team.

"Knights then aired his frustration upon the media, which he accused of laziness in throwing up ill-researched stories without basis."

Perhaps you should take note.

Commenter

Dons Insider

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 10:37AM

Nicely balanced article Caro. I would be interested in knowing how you get your inside information. Being a Bombers supporter, I was hoping that Bomber Thompson would take the job. I was never keen on the idea of Mark Harvey. But when Bomber became unavailable, Damian Hardwick was my choice. I thought he would bring some toughness back to Essendon that many thought we were lacking. Matthew Knights had a reasonable level of success with the Bendigo Bombers but I doubted his ability to coach at senior AFL level. Unlike many others, I don't care who he used to play for and what the culture was or is, at that particular club. My concern was that his coaching track record was not all that impressive. I believe that there were many Essendon supporters who have been biding their time waiting for him to fail so they could have their "I told you so" moment by expressing their disapproval of his appointment and the (we all have to admit) somewhat premature contract extension. The recruiting hasn't been all that bad and we have had injuries to key position players. But Knights and his staff need to be accountable at all levels as to some of his selection decisions. Houli isn't the only one running around with Bendigo who deserves a decent number of tries at the highest level. Dempsey, Atkinson, Hardingham and the mature age rookie recruited from Frankston, Marcus Marigliani are some of the others. There was much consternation on the EFC website when Quinn was promoted ahead of him. To keep the fans happy Knights needs to be more open about his selection decisions. As for the players, we obviously we have a couple of prima donnas who just need to get on with it!

Commenter

Bombers supporter

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 10:42AM

Nick. u got it all worked out haven't ya. As if Mark Williams would wanna coach the Bombers for 3 years then willingly hand over to Hird, thats if he wants to coach, if things were going well. Dufus!

Commenter

Rangaa

Location

Sth Yarra

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 10:44AM

Knighta is outta there (please). Hardman Hardwick would have been a much better choice. Is Hird up for coaching? I vote Lethal (if he's up for it). Maybe even Gary O'Donnell. I have a carspace near Docklands either can share (weekends only)* if he wants. *Except once a month when my mother in law visits. Houli MUST be in the side!!!!

Commenter

Bosco

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 10:46AM

The Chairman says he is now close friends with Knights, all well and good but one wonders how 'Evans can now make an objective assessment of Knights as a coach. Yes injuries and suspensions have impacted on the results and of course everyone was excited last year and I was one of them, except for the Adelaide final we had a good year. I say give him the time to see out his contract and then do the final review. As for having Choco as coach that would be as disastrous as when Pagan went to Carlton, both passed their use by dates.

Commenter

David Mahoney

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 10:48AM

What a lot of rubbish!! Bachar Houli was NOT best for Bendigo on Saturday, he turned the ball over on a number of occasions which is why he is not in the ones.If you actually watch Bendigo games you will see that Quinn is way ahead of Houli and Prismall, he will be ok once he learns the caper a bit more and at least he has a crack. And to say that Scott Lucas is disgruntled is an absolute joke. He knows he struggled last year and was given plenty of chances and wasn't able to play at his previous level.

Where were all these knockers when the team beat St Kilda and Bulldogs?

Commenter

Ken

Location

Hawthorn

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 10:50AM

The whole Knights thing makes me incredibly angry. I don't understand why he got the job in the first place. His record as a player was ordinary. And what were his credentials as a coach again? I blame the board. Too shortsighted to implement a succession plan for Sheedy causing guys like Harvey to leave, these geniuses then overlook the ideal candidate in Hardwick and top it all off by giving Knights a CONTRACT EXTENSION! Unbelievable. Essendon need to get rid of Knights but they need a clean out from the top down as well.

Commenter

Unhappy

Location

West Melbourne

Date and time

July 14, 2010, 11:10AM

@Unhappy. I agree with you re succession planning. I have very reliable information that Bomber Thompson left Essendon because he could not see himself ever having the opportunity to become the senior coach while Sheedy was a the club and don't we all know, Sheeds wasn't going anywhere. They needed a thousand wild horses and a contract with a clearly specified end date to move him on.